Safety device for bridging freight-cars.



I. H. FALLON.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BRIDGING FREIGHT CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13. 1915.

1,160,587. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

COLUMBIA PuNoalAPl-l 50.,wAsmNu'roN u c JOHN'H. FIILLLON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BRIDGING FREIGHT-CARS.

i Specification of Letters Patent. P t t d Nov. 16, 1e15,.

f Application area July 13, 1915. Serial n6; 39,554.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. FALLON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia" and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Bridging F reight- Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to an automatically operating safety device for brit ging the ends of freight cars in the coupling together of the cars, and the device arranged so as to assume a substantially V-shaped bridge between the coupled cars, thereby to prevent accidents or maiming of attendants in the completing of the coupling of the cars or attending upon air braking arrangements in connection therewith.

The nature and scope of my present invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1, is a side elevational view of the application of a safety device embodying essential features of my-invention in operative position, bridging coupled freight cars to each other and showing also the substantially V-shaped weight sustaining condition of the device in such position. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the detail arrangement of the said device; and Fig, 8, is a side elevational view, in broken section of two freight cars parted from each other, showing the safety device of my said invention, in an inoperative position, that is, the bridge-plates con stituting the said device in a substantially depending position and also the position of the operating means when the respective bridgeplates of the said device are in the defined position.

Referring to the drawings a and a are two freight cars coupled together at a in Fig. 1, in any ordinary manner.

6 and b, are the series of bridge-plates constituting the safety-device B, of my said invention hinged tothe respective car ends a by means of a series of hinge-plates 6 through which rods 6 are inserted, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The series of bridgeplates 6 are operated by means of bell crank levers b fulcrumed to brackets b on the bumper ends of the respective cars a and al as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. These bell crank levers I), carry at their upper extremities cross-harsh, forming supports for the bridge-plates to bear on in theoperative position of the same, that is, when they respectively assume a substantially V- shaped trough for sustaining the weight of an object falling or dropping into the same accidentally or otherwise, thus preventing falling between the coupled together cars. The lower ends of the bell crank levers are fulcrumed below a center point of their supported pivotal relationship in respect to each other and terminate in bumpers 0 that abut firmly against each other, for example in their condition in Fig. 1, to provide substantial support for the bridge-plates in their operative position, as in Fig. l, and which position is thus assumed by the ordinary coupling automatically of the two cars together, so that possible maiming or loss of limbs to attendants in such acts are'thereby reduced to a minimum, by removing the necessity of attendants passing between the cars to insert coupling pins until the susta'ining trough has been established between the cars, that is, until the coupled together cars have assumed the condition as clearly and fully indicated in Fig. 1. The removal of the pin of the coupling-means of thetwo cars from above the, trough established, periits of the partingof the two cars from each other, and automatically of the members and actuating means of the safety device, of my said invention, assuming the position as clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

Having thus described the nature andobjects of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with two cars adapted to be coupled togetheiy of a safety device, consisting of movable bridge plates connected with ends of the cars, bell crank levers movably connected with said ends and respectively provided with supportingmeans for said bridge-plates and in movable engagement therewith and humper-heads to form firm contact with each other in the operative position of the plates of said device, in the act of coupling said cars together, and in such position affording a substantially i -shaped vertical trough to sustain a body dropping or falling into the same. 7

2. The combination with two cars adapted to be coupled together, of a safety device, consisting of bridge-plates hinged to the ends of the cars, hen-crank levers movab1y fulcrurned to the ends of said cars and said bell-crank levers provided at their respective ends with supporting-means for said bridge-plates and in slidingengagement therewith and bumper-heads for firm contact With each other in "the act of couplingsaid cars and affording in such position a substantially V-shaped Vertical trough to sustain a body-dropping or failing into 10 r the same.

- In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of the two subscribing Witnesses. 7 7 JOHN H. FALLON. Vitnesses a EMMA D. CHAPPELL,

THOMAS lVLSMlTH.

Copies of this Patent maybe obtained for fiire cents each, by addressing the f Commissioner of Patents,

' I 7 7 Washington, D. 0. 

